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Weekly News from St. James' Episcopal Church | Leesburg, Virginia
May 9, 2025
| | Watch the service live at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning or at your leisure at a later time. | | |
Changes to Children's Formation/Chapel for Spring
Children's Chapel has returned to its traditional format. Children will begin with their families in the pews on Sunday morning and will follow the junior acolyte to Children's Chapel following the children's sermon. Children will return to worship at the Peace.
Make sure you're in-the-know about all Children's Formation news and updates...sign up for the periodic email updates from Rev. Marybeth for Families with Children!
| | Memorial Service for Dr. Steven Cooksey | | | |
Saturday, May 10
Pre-Service music begins at 12:30 p.m.
Reception to follow in the Parish Hall
Click here for more details, including live stream links and parking instructions.
Click here to view the service order.
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Rector's Bible Study
Wednesdays, May 14– May 28 | 10 a.m. | Janney Parlor
Join us for a 3-week series on Old Testament Characters. We will discuss popular characters such as Jonah, Samuel, Joshua, and King Saul. All are welcome, and no homework is required!
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Adult Forum: Spirituality in Film, Art, and Popular Culture
Sundays, May 4-June 1 | 9 a.m. | Parish Hall
Join us for a 5-week series on finding spirituality in film, art, and modern-day culture.
This Sunday, May 11, Rev. Marybeth will present: Everything's a Remix: Popular Biblical Storytelling in Contemporary Media.
Join Fr. Chad on Sundays, March 18 and 25, as he discusses Popular “Bible Verses” that are not actually in the Bible, and Michael Fabian on Sunday, June 1, as he discusses The Virgin Mary in Art.
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Arts Camp VBS: Creating with God
Dates: June 23-June 27, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Students will encounter the wonder of God’s Creation as they make music and visual art in classes with professional artists. Mornings will also feature the usual VBS offerings with a daily Bible lesson, games, and snacks.
Camper ages: rising Kindergarten to rising 5th grade
Volunteer helper ages: rising 6th grade and up - no registration fee required
Registration fee this year is on a sliding scale. All of the fee goes to support programming and formation for Children at St. James’.
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Youth Group
All 6th through 12th graders are invited to join regular meetings of St. James' students, led by our fantastic team. If you are interested in getting your student involved, reach out to Rev. Marybeth.
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Youth Sunday School
6th through 12th grade
9:00 AM Sunday School and snacks in the Youth Room
We're currently discussing the Biblical theme of deliverance.
Please join us!
Questions? Email Jon Coate
Make sure you're in the loop on all things YOUP!
Download the Band app and join our group below:
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Men's Service Ministry Book Study-
All men of St. James are invited to join a weekly MSM meeting at 7 p.m. Mondays in the lower level of the Parish House. For additional info or should you have questions, please email Mike Scott.
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St. James' Preschool
Providing children with a creative learning experience in a Christian atmosphere of love and acceptance since 1972.
Registration is now open for 2025 Summer Camps and for the 2025-2026 school year! Visit the preschool website for all the info.
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Sacred Soil Society Workdays
Help us tend to God's creation and keep our grounds looking beautiful. No experience needed! We'll gather in the church's rear parking lot. Questions? Contact Pamela McGraw.
Upcoming Workdays:
- Wednesday, May 14: 1-3 p.m.
- Saturday, May 17: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
- Tuesday, May 27: 1-3 p.m.
- Saturday, May 31: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
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St. James' Women's Book Club Monthly Meeting
May 14 | 2:00 pm | Janney Parlor
“To Build Community, Form Friendships, and Read a Good Book”
Meetings will take place on the second Wednesday of each month. The May meeting will be organized by Fran Smith and will be a discussion of the fiction book “When We Had Wings” by Ariel Lawhon. You can get the book from Amazon or Thrift Books. For more information, or to register (not required), frannie.r.smith@gmail.com
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St. James' and St. Gabriel's at Loudoun Pride Festival
May 31 | 12pm to 6pm
The Loudoun Pride Festival is an opportunity for St. James' to partner with our sister parish, St. Gabriel's, to affirm our LGBTQ+ neighbors in Loudoun County and let them know that they are welcome in our communities. We will have an informational table at the festival on Saturday, May 31, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Ida Lee Park.
For more information or to get involved, please contact St. James' parishioner, Chris Lafferty or Deacon Holly Hanback at St. Gabriel's. Chris: cblafferty@earthlink.net Deacon Holly: deaconholly@saintgabriels.net
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Learn the Art of Making Pie Crust
Saturday, June 28 | 9-11 a.m. | Parish Hall Kitchen
Join baker and author Tara Jensen for a morning filled with flour, butter, and friendship. In this two-hour, hands-on class, Jensen will walk you through the secrets of a flaky crust just in time for summer fruit. Participants will go home with an artful pie made with local flour, warm from the oven. Registration opens on May 19 and is limited to 20 participants.
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Shrine Mont Summer Camp Registration is Now Open
Registration for Shrine Mont summer camps is now open. Last summer, we had several campers from St. James' and Rev. Marybeth served as chaplain for one of the St. George's sessions. We would love to continue to strengthen the connections between St. James' and Shrine Mont. Click here for more information and to register: https://www.shrinemontcamps.org/
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Blessing of the Community Garden
Sunday, May 18 | 11:30 a.m. | Community Garden
42748 Edwards Ferry Rd.
Please join us as we gather together to bless this year’s crops at our community garden. We will pray for another bountiful harvest that will bless our town and community. The potatoes are in the ground and we have started tomatoes, squash and peppers indoors with more to come! Last year we donated over 2,000 pounds of fresh food to Loudoun Hunger Relief. With your help we hope to surpass that amount this year. For information about this vital ministry and to learn how you may get involved through planting, weeding, harvesting, transporting, or donating, please contact John Jennings at jhjennings@gmail.com or 804-387-4630.
DIRECTIONS: Take Edwards Ferry Rd past Costco and across Battlefield Pkwy. Then take the first left at Sage Hill Farm.
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Easter Offering Update
We are pleased to share with you that we received $10,571 in combined loose plate offerings on Easter Sunday. As you may recall, 2/3rds of this will be donated directly to the following charities: LAWS (Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter) and Loudoun Hunger Relief. Thank you for your incredible generosity!
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Graduation Sunday
If a member of your household is graduating from high school, college, or graduate school and you would like them to be recognized on Sunday, May 18, please fill out this form by Wednesday, May 14.
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A Final Update from Our Former Seminarian, Kara Laughlin
Dear People of Saint James’ Church,
I am writing to you on the eve of my graduation from Virginia Theological Seminary. By the time you read this, I will have my MDiv, and I will no longer be a seminarian! I want to thank you for all the good wishes and support you have given me these past three years. I’m grateful for all I have learned and experienced and I’m excited to see where God will lead me next.
There is one update I’ve been wanting to write to you ever since I began my first class in August of 2022. I’ve never quite been able to find the words, to say what I wanted to say, so I’m going to give it one last try.
Click here to keep reading.
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Altar Flowers
Dates Available Beginning May 25
To give flowers in memory of thanksgiving a loved one, email info@stjamesleesburg.org.
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(Asterisk * denotes those in the St. James’ community)
Those Requesting Prayers This Week: Suzette Shaw, *Ruth Blakeslee, Bobbie Wilkinson, and *Harold Neely.
Those on Our Long-Term Prayer List: Roger, Shannon Burns, *Dj Gunning, Pamela Scott, Isaiah Rice, *Kevin Smith, Erik deVriendt, The Householder family, Katie B. Sullivan, *Steve Page, Neil Gwinn, Charlotte Giblin, *Rachelle Graves, *Charlotte Woods, *Michael Dowling, Darrell Ackmann, Kaleb Cortes, Tony Beltrano, Emily, Mary Ellen Hurley, *Barbara Roark, *Fran Smith, Nicholas Rodney, Ed, *Scott Clark, *Pam Mossburg, Virginia Laughlin, and *Alice Lynn.
Those who have died: *Bill Rice, *Di Cook, Kurt Wehle, *John Powers, Tom Lynch and *Steven Cooksey.
Those Who Need Our Prayers: All those affected by the fires in the US, for the lives lost and that God will sustain them for the recovery ahead, for all those across the globe who suffer the effects of natural disasters; for those who suffer acts of violence around the world, especially for Ukraine and for the Holy Land; for federal employees and those serving in the armed forces at home and abroad; for those who are unemployed or underemployed; and for those who continue to be affected by COVID-19 and for protection of the most vulnerable through flu season and cold weather.
Do You Need Prayer or Care?
"In case of illness, the minister of the congregation is to be notified." (BCP p. 453)
Make a prayer request here.
Call the Church Office | Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
(703)777-1124 ext 1 | info@stjamesleesburg.org
After Hours Pastoral Care Line | (202)750-4247
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Prayer List Changes
The clergy and Pastoral Associates of the Parish have been considering ways to deepen the prayer life of St. James’. Our parish prayer list is a vital part of our corporate and individual prayers. We also know there are many in need of prayer who are known to God alone.
One of the ways we hope to hold our St. James’ family in prayer is to denote St. James’ congregants using and asterisk in our printed list. This way, whether on the short-term or long-term, those praying in worship will be able to hold those closest to us in mind. We will always continue to pray for friends and family.
Though we only name a few names out loud, please use the long-term list in your personal prayers. Many who reside on the list are our home bound folks we send communion to. They are a part of us. Please check our weekly email each week for suggested prayers and our diocesan and Anglican prayer cycles. For questions or suggestions, please reach out to Rev. Marybeth.
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